News in brief

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters protested in the Georgian capital yesterday against what they see as a massive vote fraud that helped US-allied Mikhail Saakashvili win a second presidential term. Wearing the opposition's trademark white scarves, the protesters marched for several hours across Tbilisi to demand a recount of the January 5 election. Organisers said 100,000 people turned out for the rally. Saakashvili won the election with 53% of the vote, while the main opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze had 26%, according to final official results released yesterday.Associated Press in Tbilisi

Poll shows half believe government killed Bhutto

Nearly half of Pakistanis suspect that government agencies or government-linked politicians killed Benazir Bhutto, an opinion poll showed, highlighting mistrust in the country's US-allied president ahead of elections next month. The government of President Pervez Musharraf has blamed Islamic extremists for the assassination, who had already reportedly threatened to kill her. Bhutto, who was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack on December 27, was popular in the US and the west for her vocal opposition to hardline Islam. The poll by Gallup Pakistan questioned 1,300 people.Associated Press in Islamabad